5th wheel hitch question ??

[beartrace]

My brother-in-law bought a Ford diesel shortbed and wants to tow a 30ft 5th wheel. (He says his first preference was a RAM diesel but he gets a big Ford employee discount and could not pass it up). Anyway, he has been told that he can only haul the 5th wheel if he uses a "sliding hitch". Is this true? If not, what are the pros & cons of not having a sliding hitch. Thanks !

 

[Barry]

There is another option besides the "sliding hitch". If the pin box on the coach does not have an extended king pin, then an extended pin box can be ordered and installed for around $200. Being in the RV biz, I always reccomend an extended pin box instead of an expensive slider.

 

[beartrace]

Barry said:



"If the pin box on the coach does not have an extended king pin"



I don't know exactly what you mean by the above statement. How do you know if you have an extended king pin and why would an extented pin box not work if you had an extended king pin? Thanks

 

[Barry]

The pin box is the box under neath the nose of the trailer that has the kingpin attached thereto. Some of the pin boxes have the kingpins attached so that the kingpin is directly under the nose of the trailer. Then there are pin boxes that(for lack of a better term)have a 12 to 18 inch "snoot" on them that places the kingpin out in front of the trailer, THEREBY moving the trailer BACK from the cab of the truck and eliminating the need for a slider hitch. Hope this is clear, if not, call me as I can talk faster than I can type... ... ... .....

 

[beartrace]

Thanks for the clarification Barry. This looks like a good alternative at a considerable cost savings.

 

[Steve M]

http://www.lelandengineering.com/pin.htm



This is a website for the chassis under Jayco's 5th wheels. I think Sportsmen 5th wheels uses Leland too. I have a long extended pin that's not being used if someone wants it. I put a medium pin on mine when I bought my long bed truck. The extended pin does make a big difference but you still can't make a full 90* with it. I could turn lock to lock moving forward without contact with our shortbed club cab. Just had to be careful backing up. It was never a problem though.

 

[DBF]

Hey, beartrace!



If you go with the extended mount on the 5er, tell you brother-in-law to be real careful when he wants to make a tight turn, either going ahead or backing into a space.



The extended mount doesn't help a bit when you get the truck close to 90 degrees to the trailer - something will crunch when they come together.



Face it, the trailer is 8' wide; half that is 4', and that's more than you have when you mount the hitch in a 6' bed. That's the whole purpose of the slider - to move the hitch farther aft in the bed when you need more room during a sharp turn.



Not to say he *must* have a slider - just that he does have to be careful if he doesn't.



DBF